Here are some select recent clippings showing the variety of hits/mentions identifying musicians and scholars as Eastman School of Music alumni, faculty or students. (Note: Some links may have expired.)
Brawl in the Concert Hall: ESPN Video – ESPN
(ESPN 10/31/2014)
For Eastman School of Music professor James VanDemark, the similarities between boxing and music don’t just end there. An internationally renowned double bass soloist, VanDemark took up boxing five years ago and saw immediate benefits to his performance.
Houston Symphony Concertmaster tries out for New York Philharmonic
(Houston Chronicle 10/28/2014)
As first-chair violin, Frank Huang is the Dwight Howard of the Houston Symphony. He serves as the orchestra’s concertmaster, a leadership position much like the center of his beloved Houston Rockets.
When Huang won the prestigious Naumburg Competition in 2003, the New York Times praised his “virtuoso panache.” In 2009, the Ying Quartet invited him to replace one of the founding members of what had been an all-sibling quartet. Huang balanced a busy concert schedule with teaching at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.
“It was my dream job at that time,” Huang said. When the Houston Symphony offered him its concertmaster position, he struggled with the decision, but the opportunity to live near his parents won out.
Arturo Sandoval
(Rochester City Newspaper © 10/29/2014)
Maybe it was the time difference between Rochester and Los Angeles, or maybe his management made a mistake, but I knew I was calling trumpeter Arturo Sandoval a bit too early when he answered the phone in a groggy voice. He suggested calling back in 10 minutes, so I did.
“I just took a Cuban coffee and I’m fully up now,” said a suddenly vibrant Sandoval. Sandoval plays at Kodak Hall on Sunday, November 2. (Also reported by ConXion
Aha! So that’s the secret ingredient that enables Sandoval to play impossibly complicated solos with clarity and leap to the higher register with a single bound. Actually, it turns out his extraordinary chops did not come without a great deal of struggle.
Cuban-born trumpeter Arturo Sandoval will perform at Kodak Hall on Sunday, November 2. Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs Street 3 p.m. | $25-$65 | 454-2100; esm.rochester.edu; arturosandoval.com
Grammy Winner and Cuban Jazz Legend Arturo Sandoval comes to Rochester
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle © 10/29/2014)
10 time Grammy winner, Emmy Award and 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom Arturo Sandoval will perform with his band at the Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theater on Sunday November 2nd at 3:00 pm.
This event is part of the Eastman School of Music’s new “Eastman Presents” series of guest artists.
“Sandoval is considered one of the most dynamic and vivacious live performers of our time, and has been seen by millions performing with Celine Dion at the Oscars, with Justin Timberlake at the Grammy Awards, and with Alicia Keys at the Billboard Awards. He has also performed with John Williams and the Boston Pops, and at the Super Bowl with Tony Bennett and Patti LaBelle.
Upshaw, Frost students shine in Schneider’s music at Festival Miami
(South Florida Classical Review 10/26/2014)
Composers from the world of popular music who attempt to write classical scores can find the distance between genres daunting. While many have failed to cross that divide successfully, Maria Schneider is clearly a creative artist who has made that leap with distinction. Best known as a jazz composer and band leader, Schneider conducted two of her song cycles at Festival Miami on Saturday night.
In many ways Schneider’s appearance on the Gusman Concert Hall stage was a homecoming. She is a former student at the UM Frost School of Music (as well as the Eastman School of Music and the University of Minnesota). Schneider has infused settings of poetry by North and South American writers with her affinity for Latin rhythms and improvisatory freedom without those elements seeming out of place or grafted onto the more traditional world of classicism.
Garner: RPO in concert with ‘Phantom’ film on Halloween
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle © 10/26/2014)
The RPO has quite a treat, along with musical tricks, for Halloween. They present one of the first great horror films, the Lon Chaney classic, The Phantom of the Opera, at 8 p.m. on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
As the frosting on the cake, the RPO will accompany the film with a full orchestral score, conducted by Donald Hunsberger. The performance recreates the way important films were presented in the more prestigious movie palaces of the ’20s. Under George Eastman’s direction, the Eastman Theatre was originally such a facility. And, it has been said, audiences gazed nervously at the theater’s famous giant chandelier during the story’s famous collapsing chandelier sequence.
Conductor Hunsberger is conductor emeritus of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and is a knowledgeable and experienced conductor for silent films.
Arts & Entertainment Briefs, Oct. 23-29: FirstARTS hosts New York soprano
(Salisbury Post © 10/26/2014)
The FirstARTS series of First United Methodist Church will begin its seventh season with nationally acclaimed soprano Mari-Yan Pringle in recital Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. Based in New York City, Ms. Pringle will present a varied concert of music from operatic masterpieces of Mozart, Weber and Wagner to arrangements of gospel hymns and spirituals. Matthew Michael Brown, a former colleague of Pringle’s at the Eastman School of Music, will accompany at the piano.
Don’s Top 10 From October 26, 1977
(New Jersey 101.5 © 10/26/2014)
“Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band” by Meco
No, this wasn’t IN the movie “Star Wars”, it was “inspired” by it, far outsold the actual soundtrack. The biggest-selling instrumental hit of the 70s, certified a platinum single by the RIAA, when that meant 2 million units sold. At the age of 17, Meco Monardo won a scholarship to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, which provided him with a solid classical and jazz music education.
Roosevelt University String Chamber Musicians to Perform October 31 with Ying Quartet
(eNewsParkForest 10/24/2014)
String musicians studying at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) will perform with the Ying Quartet during CCPA’s String Chamber Music Showcase at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 in the University’s Ganz Hall, 430 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.
The resident quartet with the Eastman School of Music in New York, the Ying Quartet has performed in many of the world’s most important concert halls, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House, as well as in workplaces, schools, juvenile detention facilities and at the White House.
Landsowne Symphony Orchestra to kick off season with new director
(Delaware County News Network 10/28/2014)
Sunday, Nov. 2 marks a milestone for the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra. It is the date of the orchestra’s Opening Concert of the 2014-15 season as the young, dynamic new Music Director, Reuben Blundell, takes to the podium. He will conduct the orchestra’s 75+ musicians in an exciting and inspiring performance at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center.
After an extensive search for a new music director, members of the board of the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra announce that Australian-born Blundell, who acquired a doctorate in conducting from Rochester’s prestigious Eastman School of Music, will take the orchestra to a new level of distinction and musical excellence.
Rolling Stones Trombonist to be special guest at ‘Jazz@Lee College’ concert
(Liberty County Vindicator 10/28/2014)
BAYTOWN, TX – Over the last 30 years, acclaimed trombonist and composer Michael Davis has toured with the Rolling Stones and worked with legends like Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson and Sting — and now he will bring his musical talents to the Lee College Performing Arts Center on Friday, Nov. 7, for the Jazz @ Lee College concert.
Born in San Francisco, Davis settled on the trombone in high school and attended college at the prestigious Eastman School of Music. His big break came in 1983, when he got a call from the Buddy Rich Band asking him to accompany them on tour. Three years later, his career as a freelance recording artist began in earnest and Davis quickly developed a reputation as one of the best trombonists in the business. In addition to working with the Rolling Stones since 1994, he has also played for Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Jay-Z, Sarah Vaughan, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett, Paul Simon and dozens of other artists.
Music: Dickinson College concert to feature hymns
(The Sentinel 10/22/2014)
Classic and modern piano music will be featured when Dickinson College Associate Professor of Music Jennifer Blyth gives a solo concert at 3 p.m. Nov. 2, in the sanctuary of the Second Presbyterian Church, 528 Garland Drive, Carlisle
Recognized as a compelling and innovative performer, Blyth has toured extensively both nationally and abroad. She grew up in Australia, but came to the United States to study at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she earned her masters and doctorate degrees majoring in performance and literature.
OPERA | National Opera Week 2014
(Rochester City Newspaper © 10/29/2014)
It’s National Opera Week, so take a singer to lunch! Or better yet, take yourself to the events that Rochester Lyric Opera is offering this Saturday, November 1, to celebrate the vocal arts in Rochester and in upstate New York. Events on November 1 include: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Vocal Master Class with bass-baritone Jan Opalach of the Eastman School of Music faculty and the New York City Opera. ($10 general, $5 students.)
Mother-daughter duo anchors concert series
(The Daily News 10/23/2014)
Laurel Hendershott grew up listening, rather reluctantly, to her mother’s music, as most children do.
Laurel plays flute and her mother, Kathy, plays piano.
Laurel is a 2014 graduate of Warsaw High School, where she was salutatorian. She has studied flute for two years at Eastman School of Music in Rochester and last year was the recipient of the Arts Council’s Balus Scholarship, which has helped her continue her studies.